Now after 10 eps, I'm really enjoying the show. It's full of charm, and it doesn't really overwhelm you with a lot, at least at the start right now, I thought initially not having any transformations was going to be a bad thing, but omg, Sakura's outfits have been soooo cute. I love them.
The strongest point of the show so far is the characters since we still don't have a lot of info on the overarching story. I love Sakura's relationship with all of her friends, especially Tomoyo; she is just such a Sakura fan (like me frfr). It's great seeing how much they care for each other. Tomoyo inviting Sakura out because she was feeling down due to what Syaoran said was great. Then Sakura's relationship with her brother is just such an authentic older brother and younger sis relationship; it's so funny to see the things they do because I have a little sis and do them too lol.
Also, I have to mention that the art style and the animation are top-notch. I love the card designs. Flower and Wood are some of my favorites so far in terms of design and how they look. Shadow also looks badass. Let's move on to Syaoran. I'm still not fully convinced with him since he's such a big tsundere, but it will be interesting to see his relationship develop with Sakura throughout the show. Overall, I'm really enjoying the show so far. I'm glad I was able to take it this season. It really does seem like a show made for me, like most of the magical girl genre kek. Love the visuals in the show it looks absolutely fucking beautiful.
Another CCS update time! After 20 eps, I am still absolutely loving the show. The way it blends the slice-of-life and character moments with the more action-heavy Clow Card fighting moments is great, and I can say now that Syaoran has grown on me quite a bit since the first 10 eps. It’s clear that while he may be a tsundere on the outside, he does care about Sakura. You can see this through the small gestures like offering her to shower at his house when she falls into a small lake trying to save her, and getting completely soaked himself in said lake.
So yeah, I’ve come to like him quite a bit now. I’m still having a hard time choosing between Tomoyo and Sakura as to who’s my fav, but I think Tomoyo does edge out a bit ahead though it’s still really close.
My fav ep, not just from eps 10 to 20 but in the entire show so far, has got to be ep 16. Man, that ep was beautiful Sakura visiting her mother’s grandpa, wearing the same dress her mother wore, and then ultimately showing her great-grandpa a beautiful rainbow. This was also the first time she used the Clow Cards not for capturing other Clow Cards, but just to make someone happy.
The art style and quality still continue to baffle me with how beautiful it is. I think my fave card that was revealed in these 10 eps would be the Fight card. I really like its design. But tbf, all the Clow Cards are great, and if we’re talking my fav overall, it still has to be either Wood or Flower.
Overall I’m still loving the show hope it keeps this quality up for the rest of the 50 eps as well!
CCS update time again! This one is way quicker than the other ones, lol, but the show is getting easier and easier to binge as time goes on (cause I sprained my ankle, so I have a lot of free time rn). But anyway, the show is still great. We had some really amazing eps this time around, especially some focused on Sakura's brother and father, and we got to see again how strong the bond between the three is.
This set of 10 eps also introduced probably my top 3 fav card so far, the Mirror card. Not only does it have great art and is beautiful, but it also feels like it has its own personality. Even though at the start it was only really a mimic of Sakura going around doing deviant-like things, by the end we see how much even the Mirror card comes to care for Toya and how bad they feel for injuring Toya.
The last ep for this set, ep 30, was also another great moment showing that even the Clow Cards have a personality and ability to feel things, with the Dash card helping Rei with her 100-meter dash as a way of thanking her for saving it and tending to its wounds. Also, I'm now completely sold on the Sakura x Syaoran ship.
I love the two and the dynamic they have. Syaoran clearly cares for Sakura a lot, even using the Dash card to show Rei Dash one last time before her race was really cute. Also Meiling is a great anime-only character that they introduced. They didn’t make her too annoying or anything; she's just perfect and livens up the atmosphere with the other three, but I'm still having a hard time choosing between Sakura and Tomoyo, lol.
I don’t think I'll be able to choose, but we still have 40 eps to go, so we’ll see how it goes. The fact that the show has kept up the same level of detail and quality as the first few eps is insane. Overall, still absolutely adore the show and the amazing quality and care that was clearly put into it.
Another one; CCS update time yes, again! After 40 eps, I still absolutely adore the show. The charm hasn’t worn off yet; if anything, it’s increased. As I’ve watched more and more eps, I’ve fallen more in love with all these characters and the world itself. Even the side characters feel so well-fleshed out that I love them now.
On to these 10 eps (30–40): this is the first time we’ve seen some massive ground gained in terms of the overarching story with Kero-chan, all the Clow Cards, etc. But even though that is the case, the show never forgot about what made it great, the slice-of-life and character moments that are in abundance for this set.
This time around, we also are very clearly shown that Syaoran has a crush on Sakura. He truly is the best boi. The way he cares for Sakura when she has a fever, even giving her the card that was supposed to be his (ofc in his own tsundere way) was so sweet. Seeing their dynamic and relationship develop over these 30 or so eps has been amazing.
Meiling also adds a really nice dynamic to the group of four. We’ve got a Sakura simp (aka Tomoyo), and then we’ve got a Xiaolang simp (aka Meiling). All in all, Meiling is just adorable to see interacting with the rest of the cast.
Moving on to Tomoyo, and honestly, I think I’m sold on her now. I think she’s my fav (although it’s still really, really close). The ep where she loses her voice is just so wonderfully done. When she’s clearly worried and scared about having lost her voice, but still doesn’t want to see Sakura cry or be worried so she puts up a brave image all the while never losing hope that Sakura will get her voice back.
This set of 10 eps also had an unusual amount of focus on Yukito and Sakura one-on-one, and I’m kinda sus because Sakura gets all dreamy seeing Yukito and Mizuki. And we know that Mizuki has a tremendous amount of power, so I’m wondering what’s the catch with Yukito.
Also, ep 35 deserves a mention that fight with Firey was fucking brilliant! Just so pretty and well-animated. My fav ep from this set has got to be Tomoyo losing her voice and Sakura having a fever, with an honorable mention to the fight with Firey.
Speaking of Sakura having a fever, I knew that Toya had at least a vague idea that Sakura was doing Cardcaptor activities, and that is revealed to us in that ep. Once again, we see a clear personality from the Mirror Card. It just further emphasizes that yes, the cards also have feelings and emotions. But yeah, it wasn’t really surprising that Toya knew, given the fact that Sakura is pretty bad at hiding it and he’s been sus of Kero-chan for a while now.
Overall, I absolutely adore the show. It’s so good and so charming. The characters are so well done. I love it. Also, I’m sorry for so many pings (lemme know if you want me to not ping you)
CCS update time. This one is earlier than the others; 6 eps rather than 10, but I think ep 46 warranted that since this is basically the "halfway" point of the series. This show has been so good from the start, basically perfect for me, giving me everything I want in an anime: well-written characters, great relationships and character dynamics that actually feel natural, cute girls doing cute things, and a good story to keep me hooked.
I love all these characters, and you know how last time I said that Tomoyo might be my absolute fav? Welp, Sakura is closing in now, and you know I’mma take the easy way out and just say that I love both a lot. On to these eps leading up to 46 really did feel like we were getting closer and closer to the climax of the show, which was a little confusing because there’s still like 24 eps left in the show. But with Sakura’s dream becoming more and more vivid and Mizuki trying to stay hidden less and less, it really did feel like we were coming towards the end. These eps also served as another great push for Sakura and Xiaolang’s relationship. Them doing the Sleeping Beauty play together, but with Sakura playing the prince and Xiaolang playing the princess, was so funny and so endearing to watch. That also probably would’ve been my fav ep if not for ep 46. The ep with the play featured the Light and the Dark Card, which idc what anyone says are 100% gay no way they aren’t gay cards. But I am so sad that Meiling had to leave this time. She went back to Hong Kong and afaik she won’t come back, which is the saddest thing ever. She was so much fun, and I genuinely think the show is worse off without her. She added such a nice and fun dynamic to the whole group. I’ll miss her dearly.
Now we get to the climax Sakura finally finds the last card, or rather, Earthy finds her. And I fucking knew it Yukito was Yue all along. I knew there was something sus about Yukito! But yeah, Yue challenges both Sakura and Xiaolang to a duel to see who gets to be the new master of the Clow Cards, and if they lose the duel, he’ll erase the love people have for those they hold most dear, alluding to the “catastrophe” that Kero mentioned at the start. Xiaolang is very easily beaten, and Sakura is also almost beaten before Mizuki comes in and saves her using the bell that Clow gave her to use once. Sakura is able to beat Yue and become the new master of the Clow Cards.
Honestly, I didn’t do the eps justice in how I explained them, but they’re brilliant. The amount of emotion and love that the ep has is amazing, and it is definitely my fav from this set. I doubt the last 4 will change my mind, but I am curious how the anime will progress now, since we technically did reach our goal of capturing all the Clow Cards. Interested to see where it goes, but I still absolutely adore the series and its characters, and I’m glad I have so much more to watch.
Aight, so CCS update time once again. The last two updates were only 5 eps apart because of the content of said eps, so next updates will be after 10 eps like usual. I only have 20 eps to go now anyway.
But anyway, ep 47 is basically like the start of S2 for CCS. We're introduced to a new transfer student, Eriol, and my God, why does he look so similar to Clow Reed (it’s because he's a reincarnation of him). But yeah, it'll be interesting to see where this goes. He's not the only new character we get there's also another girl/boy/unclear at Toya's school who's really clingy. Her name is Nakuru; she's another magical being that the now-Eriol created, I assume as a replacement for Yue. And there's also a cat who's the replacement for Kero since those two are now bound to Sakura.
We also get introduced to Sakura's new powers. Since she has a new staff now, she has gained the power of the stars, and every time she wants to use a card she first has to transform it into its star equivalent. This takes a massive toll on her body, because of which she has to sleep for a long period to regain her strength. And ofc we have a name for these cards as well thanks to my beloved Tomoyo-chan — they're called Sweet Sakura Cards. Anyone that says otherwise is wrong. Man, Tomoyo is so precious. Seeing her fawn over Sakura is so adorable.
I might also be reading a bit too into it, but it does seem like when she was talking about loving someone even if they don’t love you back in the same way, and just wanting them to be happy is enough for her, it felt like she was talking about Sakura since Sakura already has a love interest in Xiaolang (best boi btw) so that was a little sad to hear.
Also, I will say this fuck this Eriol/Clow guy mfer, everyone and their mother wants to test Sakura. Leave our poor girl alone. Also the weird relationship tension between Xiaolang and Eriol for Sakura is also kinda meh, but since it’s not the focus I don’t really mind.
But yeah, overall I'm still really enjoying the show and looking forward to what it does next in these last 20 eps.
Aight, so CCS update time once again. We are almost at the end and this update will be from episodes 50 to 60. This last stretch of the show is basically just Eriol, also known as Clow, actually testing and preparing Sakura to be able to use all the Sakura Cards that she has, and to have enough magical power to eventually be able to sustain the cards, as well as Yue and Kero, on her magical power alone.
One of my favourite episodes this time around was episode 53, since it shows us how much Sakura loves her cards. She tries to convert all the Clow Cards into Sakura Cards so they do not lose their magic, but Dash gets out of control and they have to get him back. This episode just shows how much love Sakura has for the cards, beyond just using them to help other people and herself.
Episode 54 is another banger, with us seeing Sakura's great grandfather again. The talk that he has with Sakura's dad, the two finally talking it out, and him acknowledging that Sakura's father was the best person to marry Nadeshiko. The family aspect and emotion in that episode was great.
This time around there were a lot of great episodes. I have a hard time choosing my favourite between three. Episode 57 is probably by far the cutest episode yet. When Xiaolang and Sakura get stuck in a dark elevator, Xiaolang consoles Sakura and tells her not to cry due to her fear of the dark. My guy Xiaolang is so hopelessly in love. It is just heartwarming to see him try to confess his feelings to Sakura and figure out what his feelings really are, with Sakura being as oblivious as anyone can be in that situation.
One thing I will mention here is that if it was anyone other than Xiaolang who was going to be the partner for Sakura, I would be mad that we were robbed of such a great yuri couple with Sakura and Tomoyo. It is very clear now that Tomoyo loves Sakura in a romantic way. But just like her mother was content seeing Nadeshiko happy with someone else, Tomoyo in the same way is also content with that.
The other two episodes that I really loved were episodes 59 and 60. Episode 59 shows us again how much Xiaolang loves Sakura, but more importantly how important Tomoyo is to Sakura as well. When Tomoyo goes missing in the school, Sakura is about to cry and wants to find her, since she is afraid something might happen to Tomoyo. It just shows us again how strong of a bond these three have with each other. Tomoyo is the silent supporter in Xiaolang's quest to confess to Sakura, and her desuwa remarks are as entertaining as always.
Then we have episode 60 which is one I was especially waiting for because Meiling is back. I was so happy. I was so sad when she left a while back because she really added a nice dynamic to the group. Even though she is only back for one episode, she still has that same Meiling energy that she brought to the group before. Except this time she notices that Xiaolang is in love with Sakura, which makes her pretty sad once Xiaolang also tells her that. She spends the night at Tomoyo's house crying in her lap. Honestly it was probably one of the saddest things to see, not only because Meiling was basically rejected by Xiaolang but also because she went to Tomoyo, who herself has had her heart broken because she has feelings for Sakura but Sakura likes someone else. It was truly too many losing heroines. Wait a minute, wrong show.
But yeah, it is hard to choose between those three or four episodes. I am leaning more towards the elevator one or Meiling's return, but all of them were great. The show is still amazing, and I've loved every moment of it.
Aight, so CCS update time again. This is the final update for the main series. We still have 2 movies, a bunch of OVAs, and Clear Card left, so I'll be watching those next. But as far as the main series goes, this is it. This update will be from ep 61-70, since I talked about ep 60 in my last update. The real climax that the show has been building towards happens basically in the final 2-3 eps. The rest is the similar monster-of-the-week type format that I've come to love.
Ep 61 is another great one since we get to see the Mirror card again. The Mirror card feels different than some of the others since we actually get to see a ton of personality and her own will, basically from her, so it's really interesting to see, especially her interactions with Toya, since he can tell that she's not the real Sakura. This ep as well, Toya finds out, but instead of just going to get the Christmas gift himself, he takes her along and treats her to some lunch. It's very heartwarming to see the Mirror card be embarrassed about meeting Toya and being with him, and the joy on her face when she gets her Christmas present from Toya, which is a hair ribbon. I really love the detail of when she returns to her card form; we can see the card form wearing the ribbon. It was such a nice touch and really humanizes the card, showing us once again that even the cards have feelings and a distinct personality, since at the end of the ep, the Mirror card also relays the feelings of all the other cards—that they also love Sakura and love her as their new master. All in all, a very nice ep.
The other noteworthy ep this time around was ep 65. It's when Yue finally is running out of magical energy, which means that he can't sustain his temp form, that is, Yukito. We see Toya give up all his magical power to save Yukito/Yue, which makes Sakura really sad, since it's because she doesn't have enough power to sustain all the cards plus both Yue and Kero. This ep all but confirms what we already knew that Toya does love Yukito in a romantic way. It was a nice way to see their relationship grow and develop over the course of the show. This event also prompts Sakura to finally confess to Yukito about her feelings, and I feel this part was handled really well by the anime, since I've heard that the manga is known for some questionable stuff with age-gap relationships.
This was handled surprisingly well. Yukito compared Sakura's like for him akin to how Sakura likes her father. It was a really sincere scene with the two of them, one where Sakura was finally rejected by Yukito, and this ep probably has, if not my fav, then easily one of my fav scenes in the show, with Xiaolang consoling Sakura in the park. It was such a wholesome and heartwarming moment.
Sakura next ep also knits a scarf for Xiaolang as a thank-you gift for consoling her, and all of them go out on a trip to the festival. This is where we again see how much Toya loves Sakura and how great their relationship is, since he says that Xiaolang is about to "steal" something he's held very dear all this time, aka Sakura. Ep 69 is when Eriol finally reveals that he is the reincarnation of Clow Reed, but not exactly Clow Reed, since he died long ago.
This is where a fight breaks out between Sakura's side, with Kero and Yue, and Eriol's side, with Nakuru and Spinel. The only way for Sakura to win is to convert all her remaining Clow Cards into Sakura cards, which she is able to do by the end with the help of Xiaolang. This is also the ep where Xiaolang finally confesses to Sakura.
The final ep is just Sakura coming to terms with her feelings for Xiaolang and the fact that Xiaolang is about to leave for Hong Kong because the Clow Cards have a new master and no more strange things are happening. It was a beautiful ending, maybe a tad anticlimactic, but we knew from the start that Eriol never really meant any harm; he just wanted to prepare Sakura to become the new master of the Clow Cards.
Overall Thoughts:
In conclusion, I can definitely see why CCS is considered to be a classic not just of the mahou shoujo genre but in general as well. Some of its themes and relationships were just so far ahead of their time because it was not afraid to take risks, even if that meant doing some questionable stuff sometimes. It took risks, and most of them did pay off in the end. It is such a timeless piece of media, and it holds up really freaking well even to this day. It is better looking in terms of animation and everything than most modern shows, and the writing plus the characters blow most of the current shows completely out of the park.
I have said this previously as well, but it is not because it has some intricate plot or super deep plot or anything like that. It is just pure joy and charm for seventy episodes. It has really well-written characters, ones that you actually care about really quickly and want to see what they are doing on a daily basis, see them grow up. It also probably has one of the best romantic relationships for the main couple in anime. Seeing Sakura and Xiaolang’s feelings develop over the course of seventy episodes was a joy. Xiaolang slowly but surely opens up more and more to the people around him, especially Sakura, and Sakura gets over her crush on Yukito and realizes her feelings for Xiaolang. Just seeing their dynamic over the course of the show was heartwarming.
It also has some weird stuff that I have not seen in mahou shoujo. For example, your classic transformations. Sakura does not really have one defined outfit that she wears. Instead, she just wears normal clothes that Tomoyo makes for her, which is definitely an interesting twist and a welcome one since the clothes Tomoyo designs are brilliant and really make Sakura look really cute.
I also want to mention some of the soundtracks. The first opening and ending are going to stay with me forever. They are incredibly iconic at this point. Particularly the first opening. The visuals and the actual song are perfect for a show like CCS. On the topic of visuals, the anime looks stunning. I have said it before, but I will say it again. CCS looks absolutely gorgeous not just for something that came out in the late nineties, but it also holds up to today’s standards. Cardcaptor Sakura definitely deserves every bit of praise it gets. It is a fantastic magical girl anime and a fantastic anime in general, a show of well-written characters and something that oozes with love and charm throughout its runtime.
Score: 9/10
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